Container



M. C. MEYER CONTAINER Sept. 20, 1938.

l2 l3 l8 0. m E71 INVENTOR.

Filed Dec. 18, 1936 BY M W ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 20, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in containers in which access to the interior thereof is convenient.

More particularly the invention is concerned with an improved form of hat box into which hats may be placed, and from which they may be taken without the necessity of lifting the box from the shelf by reason of the provision of a movable door which exposes an opening through which the hats may pass.

Even more specifically the invention is concerned with an entirely transparent container of this type so that its contents may be observed without opening the door.

Further and more detailed objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description, but generally they may be stated to involve a structure which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which in some forms may be packed and shipped in knocked down condition and readily assembled, and which are strong and rugged for the intended use.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction, arrangement and .relative location of parts, all as will be set forth below.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the container in accordance with this invention illustrated as made of transparent material;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view through a side wall and the top and bottom walls with some parts broken away;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a modified form of side wall construction;

Figures 5 and 6 are modified forms of construction for supporting the movable door shown in cross section.

As is well known in the art at the present time, hat boxes are constructed of cardboard and in such a manner that they must be shipped to the place of use in assembled form, with the result that they take up a considerable amount of space and are exceedingly expensive to ship in relation to their value. For example, as will be apparent a carload of ordinary hat boxes comprises a relatively few items in comparison to the space which they occupy and their value with the result that it is extremely expensive to move them in commerce.

The ordinary hat box as now constructed of cardboard is in use a cumbersome, unsightly and awkward article which must be taken down from the shelf and opened before its contents can be observed. Because of this awkwardness it is not an easy thing to open one of them, with the result that they are not commonly employed notwithstanding thelr utility as a protection.

Among the objects of this invention is to provide a collapsible hat box either of a transparent 5 or opaque material of collapsible form so that they may be shipped in knocked down condition, and as a result do not even in large quantities take up much space.

A further object is to provide hat boxes of 10 this type which have a movable door, which in the case of opaque hat boxes may have a transparent window therein so that the contents of the box may be observed without removing the box from the shelf, and the contents may be it removed from the box without taking it down from the shelf.

Further, more specific objects of the invention are concerned with the details of construction by means of which the general objects are secured. 20

The construction of Figures 1, 2 and 3 has been illustrated as made of a transparent material such as Celluloid, cellulose acetate, and the like, but it is of course apparent that it may be made of opaque materials such as cardboard, thin flexible plastic materials, metal and the like. In these figures the container is shown of cylindrical form, but of course, as is apparent the construction need not be limited to this particular form. The side walls thereof are composed of a continuous strip of material I, bent into circular form with the ends 2 and 3 overlapped and cemented together with a suitable cement depending on the type of material employed. The top 4 and the bottom 5 comprise discs of the same material which are cemented to the ends of the cylinder thus formed. The side wall is provided with an opening therein of suitable size and shape, depending upon the use of the container, through which access to the interior may be had. A slidable door 6 is provided, the terminal edges of which are indicated at (i and 6 This door is provided with a handle 8 attached thereto in a position so as to engage the opening at the end of the doors upon movement in either direction to position the door at fully open or closed position. In the case of the cylindrical structure the door is of curved form and is mounted in tracks at the top and bottom formed by cementing the guide members 9 and ill to the inner face of the top and bottom walls adjacent the inner face of the side wall, as is clear from Figure 3. These guide or track members 9 and II] are illustrated as of cylindrical cross-section and in the case of the Celluloid or cellulose acetate container, may be of the same material in the form of gores which are out oil to suitable length and cemented in place to form a circular track, or if desired a track long enough to guide the door in its movement. The door is mounted between these guides at the top and bottom so that when the knob is grasped the door can be moved to full open or closed position. During its movement it travels in a circular path, as will be clear from Figure 2.

Appreoiably, when the structure is of this type it is not adapted to a knock-down construction, although it may be if the user wishes to go to the trouble of cementing the parts together. In this case assembly may be facilitated by providing a side wall strip with some form of fastening means at the end such as the well known snap fasteners 12 and l2 indicated in Figure 4 as applied to the ends of the side wall strip II. In this case the ends are overlapped and snap together to form the tubular portion of the casing. To further facilitate assembly and impart knock-down characteristics to the structure the end members may be flanged at the periphery to form caps which slip over the ends of the tubular portion. Two forms of such caps are illustrated in Figures and 6. The end cap I2 is shown provided with a peripheral flange l3 of suitable length and a pair of annular ribs [4 and i5 are formed in the material in any suitable way or by embossing. In this case the movable door l6 slides in the guideway thus formed.

A further modification may be accomplished as illustrated in Figure 6, wherein the door 2| is positioned right against the side wall II. In this case the end wall is provided with a peripheral flange l9 as before, and with but a single rib 20. In both forms illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 the end walls are cemented to the side wall at the flange, and in the arrangement of Figure 6 both the side wall and the top fit in the track formed between the flange I9 and the rib 20. The wall at the other end in each case is of similar construction so that the door is guided top and bot- The constructions of Figures 5 and 6 are particularly adapted to moldable or plastic-materials. For example they may be pressure formed from cardboard or the like.

In the case where the container is made of an opaque material the door may be made of a transparent material or may be made of an opaque material having a transparent window in it.

From the above description it will be apparent that the principles of this invention as well as the details of construction may be varied by those skilled in the art while still employing the novel subject matter thereof. I do not, therefore desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for purposes of illustration, but rather to the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A container of the type described, comprising a sheet of cellulose derivative stock formed into a cylinder having an aperture therein, a pair of end walls comprising circular discs cemented to the ends of the cylinder, a pair of rings of cellulosic material cemented to each end wall in spaced relation to form circular guide tracks, one of said ring members of each pair being also cemented to the cylinder in the angle between the cylinder and the adjacent end wall to reinforce the joint between them, and a transparent slidable door of cellulosic material mounted in said guide tracks for closing said opening.

MAJHMILIAN C. MEYER. 

